Delhi Urged to Keep Polluting Vehicles Off Roads Amid GRAP-1
New Delhi, October 23: Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has called on residents to refrain from driving polluting vehicles on the roads while the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-1) is active. He said people should cooperate with the government's measures to tackle the rising air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
The minister said the situation was still unfavourable. Delhi's Air Quality Index stood at roughly 250, with GRAP-1 restrictions already in force. Even so, he observed that these curbs had not yet produced any major improvement.
Sirsa pointed to deteriorating weather as the biggest hurdle. Fog was visible today, and he warned that it could turn into a thick layer of smog.
He appealed to all residents of Delhi to join the struggle against pollution and to avoid taking polluting vehicles onto the streets. Sirsa raised concerns about two-wheelers that were arriving at petrol pumps without valid PUC certificates, which had resulted in confrontations at fuel outlets. He explained that a higher number of two-wheelers leads to greater pollution. He requested their owners to keep such vehicles off the roads during GRAP restrictions, cautioning that pollution would rise further and cause health complications.
The Rekha Gupta government had earlier put forward a 'No PUC, No Fuel' proposal, which would stop fuel supply to vehicles without a valid pollution control certificate. Starting November 1, non-Delhi registered vehicles that do not follow BS-VI emission norms will be subject to entry restrictions, with certain exemptions.
Sirsa further said he had spoken to the Delhi Traffic Police Commissioner about taking immediate action against heavy vehicles moving through the capital despite GRAP-1 curbs. According to him, no such unwanted vehicles should be allowed to enter Delhi.
Air pollution continued to be a major worry across Delhi-NCR on Friday. The AQI remained in the 'poor' category as temperatures gradually declined after Dussehra and ahead of winter.